Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

Managed to move my next orthopedist appointment to next Friday versus a week from Monday, and they gave me a stronger NSAID to start tomorrow. Going back to a bigger brace is helping, too.

Missed lunch because of a last minute meeting, but managed to finish something that we needed to get done for the agency head, so yay? Also, no real news on the budget yet, though other agencies’ plans have leaked to the press and they’re pretty draconian. I would not be surprised if ours was half of our current level, which would be consistent with the public plans that the think tanks announced prior to the start of this administration.

Ordered in dinner as soon as we got home, watched some fun British TV, then read some.

Knee was definitely worsening today; calling the orthopedist tomorrow to move things up. Pain, and more problems walking, which was highly distracting at work.

The plans for next year’s budget request are starting to hit agencies, and from the rumblings I’m hearing they’re pretty bad, as in pretty drastic cuts. We’ll see if Congress lets that happen as the realities of cuts in their states/districts starts to sink in, but given how cowardly this lot has been you never know.

After doing really well with daily journaling for the first two months of the year I dropped off a month ago. Sorry. I’m just really tired now when I get home and this spot isn’t the first thing on my mind.

Busy as all get out still at work. Still employed, still trying to thread the needle between the various court cases and doing what 47 wants us to do. Still awaiting news on what the budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts in October is going to be like.

Knee began acting up, badly, two weeks ago so I saw the orthopedist, and have a follow up in another week and a half. In the meantime he wanted me to start PT again, but I haven’t had any time to get that scheduled. In the meantime I’ll be walking along and the damned thing will ‘glitch’ on me (not sure how else to describe it). Just for a second, and not badly enough to make me fall, but enough to throw off my gait and require a moment to get back in order before I can start walking again. Yuck.

I did get a couple teeth fixed this morning, and was pleasantly surprised that they had a new, friendly, competent hygienist working today (the one three months ago at my twice yearly cleaning was … useless). Let them know the new one was a lot better.

Plugging along otherwise, trying to check in on the other attorneys in our office, offer them a safety valve to vent, and keeping my eye on how stressed out people are getting to quietly let actual management know if I see a need for them to intervene. We’re going to lose another attorney to a family move out of the area, leaving us with just one in that practice area (which probably needs three, but we’ve had two for forever). I’m eternally grateful that we hired up in parts of my portfolio and those folks are still here.

A weekend of not doing a whole heck of a lot of anything was, apparently, precisely what I needed. The time change still screwed with my sleep last night, but overall a weekend of taking down machines in Horizon Forbidden West on the PS5 has been relaxing.

9-to-5 the musical was absolutely delightful. There was a recording of Dolly herself doing some narrator duties at the beginning and end of the show, which nicely anchored the musical with the movie. Some really fun numbers. Would highly recommend it.

After mostly being a couch lump Friday and Saturday I’ve been plowing through some needed, little to-do list items, like going through the backpack from the cancelled training and putting things away, and doing some of the weekly laundry that the husband normally does before he gets back from his family trip. At the moment I’m on-and-off reading through the backlog of comics that’s developed in my box. Down to twenty left. I can usually plow through four or five at a sitting, then I have to get up and do something else. Not sure if that’s reading in general or specific to the comic medium, but four to five is my usual limit.

I had taken this Friday off from work as the day after the end of the now-cancelled training. Then the husband and I decided to grab the last open tickets we could get for 9-to-5 the musical at one of our favorite dinner theaters for tomorrow, and given that it’s in the opposite side of the area from where I work I went ahead and took tomorrow off so we could get there on time. Then I remembered I have an ophthalmologist appointment Monday where they’ll dilate my eyes so I won’t be able to work after that, and took Monday off as well. So here I am with an inadvertent five day weekend. Go me. I look forward to some sleep. And the musical. And a clean bill of health from the ophthalmologist.

That’s my life, giving the american taxpayer more government than they’re willing to pay for. Heh.

Which is not to say I’m working extra these days. I’m doing my job, I’m spending the 8.5 hours a day in the office that they’re requiring for that now, but I’m not stressing about too much of it after those hours are done. Heck, I even managed to forget the work phone on the charger on my desk this evening when I left. And that was legitimately forgetting to grab it, not “forgetting” to grab it.

Still trying to adjust the sleep schedule. The weather changes aren’t helping; sinus headaches from the high pressure system are driving me nuts.

Did get to bed early last night, and up early this morning. Biked, even (in the trainer). Knee is tolerating both. However, I had dinner with a former coworker to catch up in person, and didn’t get home until 9ish, so I’ll not be in bed early (for me). ‘Twas worth the delay this evening, but I think I’ll be dragging more tomorrow.

The five bullet nonsense is back, and is now weekly, because my agency is wussing out and not telling us not to respond. I’m getting my eye exercises in just thinking about them. You know, because I keep rolling them so much.

And this is the last month in our performance review year (april to march). I did pick up a little book about giving feedback that was recommended at the first half of training, which arrived today. Hoping that helps with writing up my own stuff, and giving management some assistance with the folks I’m unofficially helping with.

That’s pretty much what I did today – a whole lotta nuthin’. Which was what I needed. Slept in, lots of vegging out in front of the PS5. First day my body battery score has been above rock bottom at the end of the day in over a week. Not a whole lot planned for tomorrow, either, past getting to bed earlier.

Survived another week working for the chaos machine that is the US government these days. Go me.

Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up on some meaningful sleep this weekend. Because it sure wasn’t happening during the week. The Garmin watch I’ve been wearing since December gives you a “body battery” score based on how you’re recovering, sleep, dealing with stress, etc., and all this week it’s been in the low to mid 20s. Out of 100. Yikes.

Only plan I have for the weekend, other than sleep, is looking for some walking shoes at the local REI. And maybe some knitting.

Announced at staff meeting that I’m stepping into a team lead role, albeit informally. We don’t want anything formal because then I’d automatically be put into the new employee classification system (as someone who “supervises attorneys”), where otherwise it’s still up in the air whether any of our line attorneys would be placed there.

And I managed to get us a win for the agency with a good suggestion this morning, balancing us between complying with court orders, but also minimizing losses if we’re ever cleared to proceed with carrying out 47’s ridiculous exec. orders. That apparently broke a logjam of dithering upstairs and gave them a safe way to proceed that won’t make everyone happy, but gives the relevant parties something to claim as a partial win. Go me.

Hoping for some better sleep tonight, but not holding my breath.